Rajesh Lakhoni bags EC’s Best State award

As India celebrates its 6th National Voters’ Day (NVD) on Monday, Tamil Nadu’s Chief Electoral Officer Rajesh Lakhoni will be awarded the Best State award by the Election Commission of India (EC). 

With the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu only months away, officials are going all out to make it a technology-driven poll this time, even as state politicians are taking to social media to engage tech-savvy citizens. 

Online enrolment and voter registration are on in full swing. Enrolment of first time voters in colleges was initiated at Ethiraj College in Chennai a few days ago. The exercise will move to other colleges across Tamil Nadu. State departments in poll-bound states, including Tamil Nadu, are refining and testing tech-support. The EC, in turn, has added a new award this year, recognising the contribution of govt departments and agencies for enhancing electoral participation. 

The objective of the NVD, that coincides with the founding day of the Commission in 1950, is to ensure increase in voter enrolment considering age demographics, and to encourage effective participation. In the 2011 Assembly elections, a turnout of over 78% was registered, official figures said. Many programmes will be organised across the nation to mark the NVD.